


black, no sugar

by sepsner



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Human AU, M/M, coffee shop AU, mikleo is oblivious, sorey is a sweetheart, unedited oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 07:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16551140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sepsner/pseuds/sepsner
Summary: Sorey comes into the coffee shop every day and orders the same drink every time - coffee, black, no sugar. Thing is, Mikleo can tell he hates it, and can't stand making coffee for someone who doesn't even like their drink.





	black, no sugar

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my multiple one-shots written for NaNo! I might end up editing it once the month ends.

Mikleo only got his job at the coffee shop thanks to his grandpa. After months of awful interviews, someone took pity on him and gave him an apron. It wasn’t like he was a bad employee - he was just far too blunt for his own good.  
  
So when customers like Sorey came in to the cafe, Mikleo couldn’t help himself. Sorey always ordered a cup of coffee with no milk and no sugar. That in itself wasn’t special or anything. Tons of people did that. But Sorey’s sheer dumbassery really shone through when Mikleo gave him his cup and he took the first sip. His face would contort in ways that Mikleo didn’t even know the human face could move in. His mouth puckered and his eyebrows twisted, his eyes looking at the coffee in disgust.  
  
Why, Mikleo wondered every time, would this guy order a black coffee every day if he hated it? Did he just want to look tough or something? That couldn’t be it. Even if Sorey was as stupid as Mikleo felt he was, Mikleo doubted he’d do something _that_ ridiculous just to impress someone.  
  
Plus, that was pretty narcissistic to believe. Anyone trying to impress _Mikleo_? He couldn’t deny that he thought Sorey was attractive. But there was no way Sorey felt the same.  
  
So the coffee was a mystery.  
  
Today, again, Sorey came in and ordered his black, bitter coffee. And today, Mikleo couldn’t hold himself back.  
  
“Hey! You know what I’m having-”  
  
“You don’t even like it,” Mikleo interrupted the brunet, making him stop in his tracks. “I can tell. You don’t have the face of someone who’s enjoying themselves. Don’t you want a latte or something instead? Do you even like coffee?”  
  
Sorey glanced to the floor, smiling. How could anyone smile after that? Mikleo chalked it up to Sorey just being dumb. Dumb and optimistic.  
  
“You got me,” Sorey laughed. “I don’t like coffee.”  
  
Mikleo frowned and crossed his arms. “Then why do you order black, sugarless coffee every day?”  
  
“I…” Sorey scratched the back of his head, and Mikleo thought for a moment that he was blushing. No way, right? That would have been far too cute for Mikleo to handle. “Well, I wanted to start appreciating it.”  
  
“That’s stupid,” Mikleo butted in.  
  
“I guess so,” Sorey laughed. “But the guy I like is into coffee, so I figured I should try and learn to like it, too.”  
  
Mikleo’s heart soared, then plummeted. Sorey liked guys, which was good for Mikleo. But Sorey liked some other guy, which was awful. The worst. Mikleo knew he shouldn't feel so upset about this - it wasn't like he stood a chance, anyway. He was just the barista to aid Sorey in his quest to impress this coffee loving guy. He shouldn't feel so heartbroken when nothing really began.  
  
"I bet he'd like you even if you didn't like coffee," Mikleo mumbled. "If he only likes you for how much you like coffee, he'd be a pretty shitty boyfriend."  
  
Sorey paused, then laughed again. Mikleo kind of wished he'd stop laughing. It was just making the pang in his heart a little worse.  
  
"I guess you're right!" Sorey smiled. "Thanks, Mikleo."  
  
Mikleo almost asked how Sorey knew his name, but-- the nametag. Obviously. "Whatever. Stop paying for drinks you don't like."  
  
"In that case," Sorey hummed, looking over the menu. "You know what? I think I'll let you choose what I'm having."  
  
Mikleo raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you like."  
  
"Sure you do. Anything that isn't black, bitter coffee."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Mikleo made him a fruity frappuccino. Still, his heart wasn't totally in it. Knowing he was making coffee this whole time to try and hook Sorey up with some other guy made him feel sleazy. It couldn’t be helped - he was a barista, after all. What else was he meant to do? Refuse Sorey, lose money, and get fired by his own grandpa? No thanks.  
  
He gave Sorey the sweet, fruity drink. "Hey," Sorey smiled, looking at it. "This doesn't look too bad." He gave it a sip.  
  
Instead of the usual twisted, disgusted face that Sorey usually pulled while drinking coffee, he smiled. Mikleo felt his heart melt as Sorey actually smiled at him, his face bright and eyes shining. "Wow," he whispered, "this tastes so much better than coffee."  
  
"Thanks," Mikleo mumbled. He just wanted Sorey to leave now. That would be nice. Leave and never come back, and then Mikleo could go on with his life and never think about how he totally fell for someone like an idiot.  
  
"Actually," Sorey said, taking another sip. "Hmm, yeah. I think you put more effort into this than into making the coffee."  
  
"What?" Mikleo snorted. "I don't know what you're talking about. I always put the same effort into all the drinks I make, no matter--"  
  
"Nuh uh," Sorey interrupted. "This tastes super good."  
  
"Are you sure it's not just because it's not coffee?"  
  
"No! Listen. You just put, like, fruit juice in this, right?"  
  
Mikleo raised an eyebrow. "I... basically, sure."  
  
"Well," Sorey hummed, "it doesn't just taste like a bunch of fruit juice."  
  
"Fruit juice and syrup."  
  
"Whatever! It doesn't just taste like fruit juice and syrup!"  
  
Mikleo had no idea what Sorey was talking about. Of course it didn't 'just' taste like fruit juice and syrup. It was all mixed together, and the syrup they used was a special recipe, and the juice was home squeezed. But if he tried to explain that, Mikleo felt that Sorey would probably try to explain how that's not what he meant.  
  
"I still don't get it."  
  
"You put more effort into making it. That's why it tastes so good. Like, maybe you thought, this guy doesn't even like coffee." Mikleo must have pulled a face, because Sorey laughed. "See? I got you. You didn't try your hardest in making coffee, because you knew I was gonna dislike it anyway. But you put effort into making this the best fruit juice and syrup combination you could, because you hoped I would like it. Am I right?"  
  
Mikleo remained silent. Yeah. He hadn't realised it, but yeah. Sorey was right. What an awful thing to admit. "I wanted you to like it. So what?"  
  
"So," Sorey hummed. "You were right. It doesn't matter if I like coffee or not, the guy I like is gonna care about me either way."  
  
Alright, now Mikleo was confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"Wow," Sorey smiled to himself. "I thought I was dumb, but you must be pretty dense."  
  
"Hey," Mikleo frowned, but Sorey laughed. "I don't understand."  
  
"You're cute." Sorey took another sip of his drink. "I'll see you later, alright?"  
  
"Hey!" Mikleo wanted to jump over the counter and stop Sorey, but that would be leaving his post, and he might get in trouble for it. Instead, he watched Sorey leave the shop, utterly confused. What was he talking about? Why did it matter to Sorey that Mikleo wanted him to enjoy a drink? Sorey was the one paying for it, of course he should enjoy it.  
  
This plagued Mikleo's mind for the rest of the day. He mopped the floors, thinking about it. He cleaned the mugs, wondering what it meant. He wiped down the tables, unsure what Sorey was talking about. And, as if summoned, Sorey came through the door again.  
  
"Oh." Mikleo stood up straight, almost embarrassed that Sorey was seeing him away from the register. "It's a bit late for you to be coming in. We're closing soon."  
  
"I know," Sorey said, scratching the back of his neck. He was wearing the same thing as this morning - his white coat didn't button up enough to hide the smart blue shirt underneath it. Mikleo couldn't help but wonder where he must work that required him to wear a shirt like that, but allowed him to have ear piercings with dangling feathers.  
  
"So," Mikleo mumbled, wringing his cloth. "What can I do for you?"  
  
Sorey tilted his head. "Have you figured out what I meant yet?"  
  
Mikleo tutted. "No."  
  
"Aw," Sorey replied. "I didn't wanna explain. It's embarrassing."  
  
Mikleo didn't say anything, instead staring at Sorey. What the hell was he talking about? After a moment's silence, Sorey figured that Mikleo wasn't going to speak. Instead, he sat at one of the chairs and made himself comfortable, prolonging things. Mikleo almost wanted to strangle him and tell him to just spit it out, already!  
  
Eventually, after a moment of internal deliberation, Sorey said something. "You like coffee, right?"  
  
Mikleo felt like this was a test. "I work at a coffee shop, so... yeah, I suppose."  
  
"Yeah." Sorey smiled. "So I thought, the best way to impress him would be to like coffee, too. Order the best thing on the menu. Act like a real coffee connoisseur. You know, like I knew what I was doing, even though I wasn't. And then I would drink every drop of what he made me, even though I don't even like it that much. Because I wanted to taste every part of how he likes coffee."  
  
Slowly, Mikleo was putting things together. "You mean you..?"  
  
Sorey smiled a little, embarrassed and turning pink. "You're the guy I was talking about. You're the guy I wanted to like coffee for. I wanted to try and impress you. But you were right, I could impress you even though I don't like coffee. You put a lot of effort into my juice thing, and that let me know for sure that you really... that you'd care, even if I didn't like what you like."  
  
Mikleo swallowed. So he was actually making coffee to… help himself fall for Sorey? So he really _was_ trying to impress Mikleo by drinking it black and bitter. Sorey was an idiot for drinking all that coffee, but Mikleo was, too, for not being able to tell what Sorey’s intentions were. They were both stupid… so maybe that’s why they attracted each other.  
  
“Of course I’d care about you if you disliked coffee,” Mikleo snorted, crossing his arms. “You think I’m crazy about coffee just because I’m a barista? I like ice cream way more.”  
  
Sorey laughed loudly. “Good thing I’m an expert when it comes to ice cream, then!” He stood up and wrapped an arm around Mikleo’s shoulders. Mikleo’s heart stopped beating for a moment as he was pulled closer, Sorey’s smell making him shiver. Whatever deodorant he used, it really worked for him.  
  
“Are you done with your shift?” Mikleo barely heard Sorey over his heart beating in his ears.  
  
“Yeah. I’m just closing up.”  
  
“Let me help you. Then we can go get some ice cream together. Like a date.”  
  
Like a date. Mikleo’s heart soared. “Sure,” he mumbled, pushing himself away. “Just wipe the tables for me.”  
  
In the back room, Mikleo needed to compose himself, splashing his face with water from the employee sink. He brushed his hair and took off his apron. It was just an ice cream date. A date. With Sorey. Mikleo took a deep breath.  
  
A muffled “I’m done with the tables!” came through the door, and Mikleo was as composed as he would ever be. He couldn’t help but smile to himself. Sorey wanted _him_ all along. As long as they didn’t have any coffee ice cream, this was going to be the perfect date.  
  
“I'm coming!”


End file.
